Political polarization and public health in Germany
- 1YES Automation
- 2Department of Midwifery, University Lübeck, Institute of Health Sciences
- 3Public Health Authority Neukölln, Gesundheitsamt Neukölln
Abstract
In contrast to its outpatient and inpatient healthcare, Germany’s public health service (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst, ÖGD/PHS) faces financial and structural disadvantages. In this paper, we unravel the challenges associated with political polarization and their significant impact on public and individual health. Political polarization should be understood not merely as a communication challenge but as a governance determinant for public health. Using Germany’s public health service as an illustrative case, we examine how institutional dependence within political-administrative hierarchies can make the translation of scientific evidence into credible action more vulnerable under crisis conditions. Three mechanisms for scientific vulnerability are central: 1. the erosion of trust in institutions and expertise; 2. the rising political costs of acting in uncertain situations; and 3. reduced compliance when public health measures are interpreted through partisan lenses. Our investigations are based on a review of selected literature and institutional analysis focusing on the impact of political polarization on public health and subsequently discuss reform pathways that could strengthen scientific integrity, professional accountability, and crisis capacity, including statutory and professional safeguards for independence, tighter medical and academic integration of public health authorities, clearly defined leadership profiles, agency-based arrangements, and, in the longer term, self-governing models. At the same time, we emphasize trade-offs relation, legal oversight, financing, and federal coordination, as well as the limits of a non-causal, conceptually oriented argument.
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BibTeX
@article{yavuz2026political,
title = {{Political polarization and public health in Germany}},
author = {Mesut Yavuz and Alexandra Roth and Nicolai Savaskan},
journal = {Frontiers in Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1925598},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1925598/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Political polarization and public health in Germany
AU - Mesut Yavuz
AU - Alexandra Roth
AU - Nicolai Savaskan
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/19
JO - Frontiers in Public Health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1925598
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2026.1925598/full
AB - In contrast to its outpatient and inpatient healthcare, Germany’s public health service (Öffentlicher Gesundheitsdienst, ÖGD/PHS) faces financial and structural disadvantages. In this paper, we unravel the challenges associated with political polarization and their significant impact on public and individual health. Political polarization should be understood not merely as a communication challenge but as a governance determinant for public health. Using Germany’s public health service as an illustrative case, we examine how institutional dependence within political-administrative hierarchies can make the translation of scientific evidence into credible action more vulnerable under crisis conditions. Three mechanisms for scientific vulnerability are central: 1. the erosion of trust in institutions and expertise; 2. the rising political costs of acting in uncertain situations; and 3. reduced compliance when public health measures are interpreted through partisan lenses. Our investigations are based on a review of selected literature and institutional analysis focusing on the impact of political polarization on public health and subsequently discuss reform pathways that could strengthen scientific integrity, professional accountability, and crisis capacity, including statutory and professional safeguards for independence, tighter medical and academic integration of public health authorities, clearly defined leadership profiles, agency-based arrangements, and, in the longer term, self-governing models. At the same time, we emphasize trade-offs relation, legal oversight, financing, and federal coordination, as well as the limits of a non-causal, conceptually oriented argument.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -